A BUS firm has donated over £59,000 to help NHS staff, patients and volunteers.

Stagecoach South donated £59,406 of excess change collected during lockdown to NHS Charities Together Covid-19 Appeal.

The appeal supports NHS staff, volunteers and patients in ways beyond what NHS funding can ordinarily provide.

The bus company, which operates across Hampshire encouraged the of use exact fare during the peak of the pandemic to provide reassurance for drivers and customers.

Where change couldn’t be given the money was then collected ready to donate to the charity.

Edward Hodgson Managing Director for Stagecoach South said “We really appreciated customer’s co-operation when the temporary exact fare scheme was in place.

“Most people are now paying online or with contactless but we do recognise that some of our customers still rely on cash to pay for their journeys.

“The scheme helped to keep cash handling to a minimum during the height of the pandemic and we would like to thank everyone in helping keep both customers and drivers safe. We’re pleased to be able to donate these funds to a very worthy cause.”